Immigrants at Grosse Île Quarantine Station, 1832-1937

The Records

In the 19th century, an increasing stream of people was leaving Europe to rebuild their lives in North America. Around 1830, an average of 30,000 immigrants arrived annually in the City of Québec, the main port of entry to Canada. Approximately two-thirds of these newcomers were from Ireland. This unprecedented immigration on the St. Lawrence River took place at a time when major cholera and smallpox epidemics were sweeping through Europe. In order to help control the spread of the diseases, the quarantine station at Grosse Île, located in the St. Lawrence River downstream from the City of Québec, was established in 1832 and operated until its closure in 1937.

Data on immigrants was compiled by Parks Canada from a number of different records held in various archives. Under an agreement between the Québec Service Centre of Parks Canada and Library and Archives Canada, this database regarding immigrants who passed through Grosse Île is now available on this website.

The Database

One of the benefits of this database is that it allows people to trace certain immigrants and the members of their family, from their departure from Europe, during their voyage across the Atlantic and their stay at the Grosse Île Quarantine Station, and then on their way to a destination within the continent.

The database contains 33,036 references to immigrants who stayed, were born, married or buried at the Grosse Île Quarantine Station between 1832 and 1937. The database also includes references to immigrants who were born or died at sea during those years. It also includes references to immigration workers and their families who were living on the island.

For better understanding of the database, the references have been grouped by the following type of records:

Baptisms recorded at the Grosse Île Quarantine Station.

Information on 554 people baptized at Grosse Île between 1832 and 1937.

Births that occurred at sea.

Information on 135 people born on ships during the Atlantic crossing between 1837 and 1913.

Burials recorded at the Grosse Île Quarantine Station.

Information about 4,871 people who were buried at Grosse Île between 1832 and 1937.

Deaths that occurred at sea.

Information on 4,936 people who died on ships at sea, on the St. Lawrence River or on quarantined ships at Grosse Île, from 1832 to 1922.

Hospital Registers.

Information on 12,196 people who were treated at the Grosse Île hospitals between 1832 and 1921.

Information on 1,431 tenants evicted in 1847 by Major Mahon, landlord of County Roscommon in Ireland.

Marriages recorded at the Grosse Île Quarantine Station.

Information on 46 marriages that were celebrated at Grosse Île from 1832 to 1937.

Names recorded on the Grosse Île Quarantine Station Memorial.

The Grosse Île and the Irish Memorial was erected in 1997 to commemorate the massive arrival of Irish immigrants who were victims of the Great Famine. It provides the names of 8,339 people of various nationalities who were buried in the Grosse Île cemeteries from 1832 to 1937.

Search Screen

The search screen enables you to search by:

Surname

Given Name(s)

Note that some entries include only an initial for the given names. In that case, try searching by surname only. Names can also be written in different ways. The entries reflect the spelling of names as they appear on the documents, some of which are barely legible.

Once you have entered your search terms, click on "Search". The number of hits found will be shown at the top of the results screen.

How to Interpret the Results

Your search results will be posted as a results summary list from which you will be able to obtain an item description.

Search Results Page

The search results page displays the following fields:

Item Number

Surname

Given Name(s)

Origin

Type of records

Click on the underlined Item Number of a record to access the Item page, which contains additional information specific to that record.

Item Page

The item page may contain one of the following fields:

Surname

Given Name(s)

Gender

Age

Marital Status

Origin

Occupation

Type of person

Date of Birth

Place of Birth

Date of Baptism

Date of Marriage

Date of Death

Place of Death

Cause of Death

Date of Burial

Place of Burial

Religion

Notes

Witnesses

Priest

Name of Ship

Name of Captain

Date of Departure

Port of Departure

Date of Arrival

Destination

Hospitalization Period: From

Hospitalization Period: To

Date of Admission

Disease

Date of Release

Notary

Head of Family or Group

Place of Residence

Date of Document

Reference

Type of Records

Microfilm

The content of the database entries reflect the original language used in the documents. This information was not translated.

Important Note: Given that some of the original documents are very difficult to read, some information in the database may be incorrect and/or incomplete.

The archival reference to the original document appears at the end of each description. The documents are held in various archives, mainly at Library and Archives Canada, Archives nationales du Québec, Québec Office, or at the Québec Service Centre of Parks Canada.

To suggest a correction, click on the Suggest a Correction link to access an electronic form.

To return to the Search Results page, click on the Back button of your browser in the upper left corner of your screen.

How to Obtain Copies

All information contained in the actual documents was transcribed and entered in the database. If you still want to view the original record or obtain a copy, note the reference at the bottom of the page and consult the relevant section below.

Parks CanadaIt is not possible to obtain copies of documents in the custody of the Québec Service Centre of Parks Canada because the information is contained in fragile oversize registers, which would be damaged by photocopying.